Here is today's summary of economic development news, a free service of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, representing Alabama's private sector investment in economic development. If you enjoy NewsFlash, thank an
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MONTGOMERY, Alabama -
Site Selection, an economic development-focused publication, ranked Alabama No. 6 in its annual State Business Climate survey, a healthy improvement over rankings in the previous two years.

The magazine's closely watched rankings are based largely on feedback from site selection consultants and corporate real estate executives, as well as the level of high-quality project activity in the states. Alabama ranked No. 9 in 2016 and No. 11 in 2015.

Location consultants surveyed by Site Selection gave Alabama especially high marks in the 2017 Business Climate rankings. Alabama ranked No. 4 among the states in the magazine's Executive Survey, the most important component in the rankings, accounting for 50 percent of the overall score.

HOOVER - Mayor Frank Brocato announced that Greg Knighton has been selected as the city's first-ever economic developer.

Knighton will assume the role on Dec. 18, according to information released by Brocato.

"Greg is a highly-experienced professional and is currently vice president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, where he has served since 1994," Brocato said. "He is responsible for EDPA's Business Information Division and works on recruitment, retention, marketing and community development initiatives. Greg has been on the project team for major economic development projects in Alabama, including Airbus, Honda and ThyssenKrupp Steel, among many others."

It's been nearly a year since
Onur Genc took over as CEO of BBVA Compass, and that year has seen the company position itself both in its traditional bank locations and for the digital future.

"It's been fun," Genc said during a phone interview. "These have been exciting times for us."

Genc oversees the bank, which reported an 8 percent increase in net income for the third quarter despite the effects of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. BBVA Compass encompasses more than 10,500 employees at 649 branches across seven states.